Café
by Your Silver Lining
Summary: It was bad enough to lose his job, apartment and all of his money on the same day; but now he has to deal with this goddamn redhead. Why the hell does he care about the stupid floor? It's only linoleum. Mello just wanted his coffee dammit! AU Matt x Mello
1. Eru Espresso

_**Café**_

_**Chapter One: Eru Espresso**_

**Pairing:** Matt x Mello

**Genre: **Romance/Drama

**Warnings: **AU so the characters may stray from their given personality (translation: major OOC), excessive drama, n00b writing in the drama sub-field of literature, language, lime, shounen ai, heed the rating of T

**FTOYWGAD: **I finally get to do a Death Note Matt x Mello fic. I've been doing a lot of Mello x Near and even Naruto one-shots but I had this in mind a while ago so I couldn't find it in my heart to just let it go…. (^_^) Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy! Oh and shout-out to my beta **shadowkunoichi47**. Thanks for beta-ing this Kit :cough: even though you're super busy, you know, having a life and all XD :cough:!

**Disclaimer: **Yes, yes we all know that if I owned Death Note, I'd probably not be doing this right now, blah blah blah, the series would be filled with fluffy yaoi shots, blah blah blah, I'm crying right now wondering what I'm doing with my life, blah blah blah.

Enjoy!

* * *

_(The Busy Streets of Manhattan, New York)_

It was the time of the year when nor'easters became the norm for the weather. A genuine New York citizen would know exactly how to prepare for such a season, seeing as that Mother Nature could be especially ruthless and unpredictable in their metropolitan area. So it wasn't a surprise to anyone when the seemingly innocent and bluer-than-ocean-sky took a turn for the worse and darkened with threatening, malevolent clouds. The dark gray monsters immediately swallowed the heavens and shrouded the city in a coat of violent thunder and lightning.

Not even looking up, most of the bustling citizens automatically lifted their umbrellas and hurried to wherever it is they were going, only slightly increasing their speed to avoid the soon-to-be-pelting rain.

Among these throngs of umbrellas were multifarious people ranging from different ethnic backgrounds to trannys that the city was ever so popular for. Nevertheless, they all seemed to know what they were doing and continued on with their life. If one were to be looking from a helicopter, a blonde dot would be amongst some of the first things out of the norm. Not only did the young man not have an umbrella but his choice in attire was hardly what one would call…appropriate. Clad, in nothing but leather from head to toe, it's no wonder mothers ushered their children away from him. It wasn't by any means _abnormal_ for someone to be walking around in New York without an umbrella for the place was littered with unfortunate, brash tourists who were too hasty with packing to bother with an umbrella. So no one paid attention to that one, blonde dot.

Said blonde dot, whose name shall now be revealed as Mello, was walking down the streets of Manhattan in a pace that was below average, sometimes to the irritation of busy businessmen. Mello still couldn't conjure up enough consideration to care. Once in a while he'd receive strange looks for a passerby or two, some gawking at his outfit and the lack of protection from the rain, others curious about the scar that covered the entire left half of his face. Even so, he kept walking, or trudging more like it. He'd been used to those looks a long while ago.

Right now, all he was set on is getting to his favorite place in the world. Growing up in New York, a lot of citizens build memories upon memories in the wondrous city. However, no one had a history quite like the blonde twenty-two year old.

Approaching the small building, Mello almost showed what could only be explained as a smile.

Eru Café.

Or according to Mello, the epitome of all that is good and sacred in the world.

When Mello was still in college, he couldn't remember a day where he wasn't at the café. Given that it had the best coffee in the world, it was hardly a surprise. However, since he'd been busy after the life after college, he hadn't gotten a chance to go to the café in seven months.

And quite frankly, he'd missed the place.

Not caring for the fact that he was drenched head to toe in rain, Mello pushed the familiar door open and stepped inside. The inside was just as he remembered it, small and dinky but unquestionably cozy. The walls were still painted a slightly faded, rich, brown, the high tables and chairs small and petite. The counter was on the other end, sporting a few chairs because of its bar-like styling and also beholding all the coffee-making machines known to man. The place was made to accommodate almost every age group and consequently got many customers. Antique pictures and photographs hung proudly in random places on the walls. The lighting was dim giving it a more homely atmosphere. There was a small bookcase on the far end surrounded by plush couches and divans. Surprisingly the place was deserted. One would think a person could do with a cup of hot chocolate or two considering the weather outside.

The leather-clad man began walking up to the counter, looking forward to chatting it up with the manager, who was a dear acquaintance of his, from his frequent visits.

"Oi, oi!"

Mello stiffened at the voice cutting through the air and turned to look who had the audacity to yell at him that way. He found a boy who couldn't be older than nineteen, looking at him incredulously. He had dark red hair and wore goggles which were now pushed to rest on his forehead.

_Goggles? _Mello thought distastefully. _Heh, probably like one of those freaks who wear sunglasses inside. _

At first, he didn't look intimidating at all. If one knew Mello, they'd know that the man was the_ definition _of intimidation. However, as the boy came closer to the blonde, he really noticed how much smaller he was in comparison. Mello never really took pride in his size. Being more than below average for his age, the blonde hated his slight build. Seeing the redhead towering over him by at least half a foot made him wonder what the hell his mother was feeding the boy.

"Look," the redhead started, "you can't just walk in here drenched, like some stray cat. I just cleaned there." He pointed to a spot to where Mello didn't even bother to look.

In response, Mello just shrugged, not even caring at the point. Under normal circumstances, he would have lashed out at the redhead for even trying to deride him and would have probably made fun of his goggles too. But at the moment he just wanted some warm coffee and chocolate.

The younger man blinked at the indifferent gesture and stared at the dripping blonde. After a few moments of intense staring, the redhead caved and motioned for the blonde to follow him to the counter.

Slightly smirking, Mello walked to the counter and plopped noisily on one of the bar stools. One of the things he liked best about the café was that he could sip on his drink while he talked with his friend behind the counter.

The younger man was now behind the counter looking for something. He produced a small 'ah hah!' when he did find a towel threw it in the smug face of the blonde.

"Dry yourself up, will ya?"

"Son of a –" Mello started, but then stopped when realization struck him. "What the hell are you doing?"

The younger man looked at Mello like he'd just asked him to give birth to a baby. "What does it look like? I'm getting the mop to clean the mess you just made."

Mello narrowed his eyes. "No, I mean, where is Balsa?" He asked, referring to the woman who he'd befriended in college.

The man across from him looked confused for a while before it slipped into a look of comprehension. "You mean the old manager? She doesn't work here anymore." He replied easily, walking to clean up Mello's mess. "The café's under new management."

For a while, Mello's entire face deflated. It was official now. Today, August 14th, is the day that Mello lost everything.

The younger man, noticing the other's silence, looked up from where he was cleaning, and saw the disappointment.

Walking back to the counter, he figured he'd ask what he wanted. "So, ya gonna have something, or just sit there moping?"

This earned him a glare from the older man. Instead of telling him off, the blonde actually ordered. "Eru Espresso. The usual one."

After going there for so long, he'd practically memorized the menu.

Slightly impressed in his knowledge, the redhead quickly went to work.

"So, did you know her or what?" The boy asked, hoping the small talk would fill in the silence.

"Not really," Mello answered. "Just pissed that I won't have coffee as good as hers."

The other man scoffed at the comment. "You haven't even tasted mine."

"Don't have to. I can already tell by your face that that coffee's not gonna be any good."

Something in the goggle-clad boy snapped and he whipped his head around from the coffee machine. "What the hell is your problem? You waltz in here all drenched and soil the floor. Then I give you a towel to clean yourself off and you're still shitting me?" Finished with his tirade, he slammed the coffee cup on the counter. "That would be two dollars and fifty cents."

Mello's eyes flashed dangerously at the increasingly developing quarrel. Deciding to be quiet for a change he placed the money on the counter and he took a sip of the coffee.

"As expected," he said, "tastes like shit."

The young boy caught his breath.

"Get out."

Mello smiled coolly, reveling in the other boy's frustration. He could practically feel him boring a hole in his head with his eyes as he walked out of the building.

The rain now let up to a slight drizzle. Mello meandered toward his apartment building. For the first time in his life, dread filled his body.

It was his last day in that apartment.

Those were the last of his two dollars.

One thing that sucked the most about being fired from the only job he loved the most was not the fact that he didn't deserve to be 'relieved from his duties.' It wasn't that he was cheated and screwed over in that job. It wasn't that he was now broke and had no place to live.

He walked home that day, knowing that he would never afford to go back to Eru Café again.

And that was the best damn cup of coffee he'd ever had.

* * *

**Food for Thought: **Scientists use the term 'mole' to measure the number of atoms, molecules, ions or particles. One mole is equal to 6.022 x 1023. In other words, if we were able to count atoms at the rate of 10 million per second, it would take about **2 billion years **to count the atoms in one mole. XD Now that's some crazy shit.

**FTOYWGAD: **So…yah. That's the first chapter. I wrote the outline for this December 3rd, 2008. Over a year ago. So please bear in mind that my mind was still fresh and new to the world of proper literature and more importantly yaoi. Reviews would really be helpful so that I know whether this story is worth continuing or a total flop. Much love!

~Silver


	2. Eru Flat White

_**Café**_

_**Chapter Two: Eru Flat White**_

**FTOYWGAD:** Thanks for the reviews so far guys. I'm hoping to get more for this chapter. And don't worry, it may not seem like it but there will be progress soon. Oh and there will be somewhat regular updates for this fic but I don't guarantee that after chapter five is published (currently working on chapter six n.n"). Anyways, shouout to Kit, my beta for this fic. LUFF FOR YOU!

**Disclaimer**: So I was walking down the street yesterday singing about how I own Death Note and all that stuff and these two men in black tuxedos and sunglasses grabbed me from behind and…the rest was a blur…

* * *

_(Mello's Apartment in New York)_

It was no use. Even if a person spent the rest of his life dedicated to this task, it would be of no use.

Mello screamed in frustration and kicked an innocent cardboard box, sending useless knickknacks and chocolate wrappers flying everywhere.

He'd spent the past half an hour trying desperately to find loose change lying around. After an entire horror movie's worth of screaming and yelling, never had Mello been as happy as when he found two quarters in the drain of the sink.

It may be his last day in that apartment, but at least he'd have some money for coffee.

Some may say that it was obsession, but Mello likes to call it an uncanny attraction to a beautiful piece of culinary art.

Giving up looking for any more money since he already had enough for another espresso, he collapsed on his recliner. He made a mental note to throw it away as soon as possible.

He allowed himself to rest his eyes after a long day.

He'd been asked to retrieve all his items from his office from work. Even though he'd been fired a week ago from the company he worked for, the boss had be a bastard enough to tell him to get his things a week later.

His boss was the sole reason Mello was worrying sick about what he would do after he gives up the keys to his apartment. The blonde forced himself to focus on other matters. If he thought about that day any longer, he was going to go on another rampage and get into another shouting match with the neighbors.

The thought of where he could stay for a while until he got another job and enough money to rent another apartment. Maybe he could stay at Balsa's place? Then he realized that he barely knew where the woman was, never mind sharing an apartment with her. There was always his friend from college, Linder. Then again, she'd probably be too busy now that she was married and all. Not to mention, he doubted she'd be comfortable enough to ask him over.

He'd always been the tough kid in school and was never seen without his 'goons' behind him. He would terrorize the other children just for spite. Of course he'd grown out of that stage but his tough exterior never left him. Back then, he was always surrounded by students and children; he still found himself lonely. It suddenly dawned on Mello that he'd never really had friends. If he were to disappear right off the face of the earth, no one would know. No one would care.

For the first time in year, Mello's throat constricted and his nose felt impossibly stuffy. The severity of the situation finally caught up with the leather-clad man, and realizing this, he fell back, closing his eyes.

He was in desperate need of coffee right now.

* * *

_(Eru Café)_

Although Matt had just begun working at the café a few weeks ago, he'd seen enough customers come in there and pretend like they were the Queen of England. Still, he managed and treated them like royalty and sometimes even mouthed 'your majesty' every time they demanded a "like, a medium Eru Cappuccino Latte with a tablespoon and a quarter of cream and half a pinch of cinnamon on top." Yeah, he was a saint. But never in his life had he ever met someone as thickheaded and egotistical as the small-framed blonde that had walked in earlier. Of course at first, he was slightly ticked off that he'd walked in _right_ where he cleaned earlier. But then he realized that there was no way the man could have known that so he forgave him and even gave him a towel. So after attempting small talk with the man and even making him the best coffee in the world, what does he do? He tells him his masterpiece was worth less than the dirt on his shoe. So Matt did what every sane person would do after that. He told the blonde douche bag to get the hell out. Hey, maybe it was sort of mean to kick out a person, a customer much less, out in the cold afternoon showers of New York, but he honestly couldn't stand the guy.

So when Matt packed up that day to go home after his shift, he was already in a bad mood. And that was pretty rare for the redhead since the boy was so easygoing.

Before the boy could even step around the counter, he heard a shuffle behind him. Considering it was the sound of footsteps without shoes on, it wasn't had to guess how it was.

"Where do you think you're going?" came the drawling voice of Matt's boss.

Turning around, the goggle-clad man faced the very man who was lucky enough to deem himself the owner of the Eru franchise. The man was unbelievably pale and dressed in nothing but a long-sleeved white shirt and baggy jeans that Matt thought were at least two sizes too big for him. His bulging eyes and inky black hair was enough to send little children crying. It was very misleading, Matt had once thought. The man wore baggy clothes but he knew that beneath those clothes was a man who had years of experience in martial arts. Matt knew because of a robbery incident that happened a few days ago. He was held at gunpoint while the masked man demanded all the money in the cash register. Before the boy could even reach for the money, his boss _flew_ from behind him and spin kicked the robber, knocking him unconscious.

Matt learned that day, that he was extremely possessive about his money. No one got near it. He'd been away, managing another international café in London. After a few years it took him to realize he'd been missing home, he arrived in New York and relieved Balsa from her managerial duties. Then he was kind enough to give Matt a job to help pay for his college.

Matt thought fondly of the incident when he was shaken out of his reverie.

"Matt, let me ask you again. Where are you going?" L asked, now walking into the café from the stairs that led to the storage room.

"Geez, L, I'm done with my shift. I'm going home," the redhead replied, waving to the other man and walking toward the exit with his backpack full of homework he did on days like these when no one stepped foot in the café.

There was a deafening silence behind him and Matt made the mistake of turning around. He got an eyeful of L's face.

"Shit, don't sneak up like that!"

"Matt, do you remember what happened exactly three weeks and two days ago?" L asked with a creepy smile.

Matt being used to peculiar behavior just shrugged not bothering with answering the man.

"You signed a contract with me stating that you will accept this job, working in the café as long as you do as I say and work the shifts that I assign you. I assure you that I did pay heed to your busy schedule being a college student and all," the pale man said, bringing his thumb to rest on his lower lip; another one of his unusual habits.

Matt nodded, remembering the day. It was one of his happiest, knowing that he would be able to pay for college and his education himself.

"Well, as I recall, Matt, I see that your shift on Wednesdays start at 6:30 in the morning and end at 2:15 PM," L mumbled.

"Yes," Matt slowly said, unsure of where this was going.

"Then take a look at the watch Matt."

The redhead glanced at his wristwatch noticing that it was 2:13 exactly. Then Matt understood where L was taking this.

"You're not serious…"

"As a heart attack, Matt."

"But there's no one even here!"

"Need I remind you of the contract?"

Matt groaned and slumped against the chair, mumbling about unfair bosses.

L stood and stared right ahead at the clear glass doors of the small shop, right into the dark and depressing streets of the now wet New York.

2:14

"It's been raining quite a lot, huh, Matt?" L said.

"Mm-hmm." Matt agreed, not bothering to look up.

"Any customers today?" L asked as he always did.

"One," Matt murmured again. "He was a douche bag."

L shot Matt an inquiring look.

The other, feeling the stare behind him, said, "Don't worry, I was nice."

L produced a satisfied sound.

"But I told him to get out…" Matt whispered to the chair he was leaning on, hoping to God he hadn't heard him.

"Matt," L said warningly. "That could mean one less customer."

"I've never even seen him before! He just came in all wet and told me off, just like that," the younger boy whined.

L scrunched up his face. "One more error like that and I will be forced to – "

2:15

"See ya, L!" Matt slung his backpack around his shoulder and made a run for the door. Not even bothering to put his hood up, the redhead sprinted all the way to his apartment.

Once inside, said redhead dumped his belongings on the floor and proceeded to remove his heavy hoodie. Once he was wearing nothing but his tank top and boxers, he snuggled his toned body into the bed and piled blankets and blankets on top of himself. After shutting his eyes for a few minutes, he opened one and found his term paper half typed on his laptop on one end of the room and his PS3, Modern Warfare on pause on the other end.

It was a no-brainer. Education was important to him after all. After somehow convincing his brain that he needed a clear head to write his paper, he grabbed his controller and continued to play.

While he played, his thoughts wandered to the bills piling up on the small kitchen counter. When he said that L gave him the job at the café to pay for his college, he meant exactly that. There was barely enough money for him to rent the dinky apartment. L tried to convince him to stay in the dorms the college provided for him, but he blatantly refused saying that the campus was too far away and he preferred commuting. Every once in a while he'd get an angry tax collector at his door demanding money. And then Matt would proceed to shut the door in his face earning him a string of threats.

What Matt really wanted at the moment was a roommate, one who wouldn't mind the sloppiness and would pay half the rent. And he needed one desperately.

_Funny,_ he thought. _Scar-face pops into my head.

* * *

_

_(Eru Café)_

L watched the retreating figure, somewhat put off at the thought that he might lose another customer. He went back behind the counter to do some paperwork when he heard the front door opening. Surprised that he would get any business in the busy weather, he looked up.

He found what seemed to be a blonde woman in a fitting leather jacket. When the figure walked closer, and upon closer inspection he made out an angry scar covering the left side of the face. He also noticed that it was a man, not a woman. He congratulated in figuring that out early or the results might have been dire.

"Well, hello." L said, his face not betraying the slightest of emotion.

The blonde raised his eyebrows. He'd only been gone for two hours and the redhead switches shifts already? Not that he wanted him back. Not at all.

"Hi," he replied. "Wasn't there a weird redhead here a while ago?"

Not expecting the question, L gave a start. "Redhead?"

"Yeah, he had goggles and was way too tall for his age," Mello gesticulated using his hands.

L wanted to ask whether it was because _he _was too _short_ for his age but bit his tongue in time. "I think you're talking about Matt. His shift was over a few minutes ago. But I'll be taking his place."

The pale man wondered whether this was the man who Matt thought was a 'douche bag.'

"Good, that freak was a nuisance anyway."

And that confirmed his prediction. "So, what would you like?"

"Eru Espresso." He said automatically.

L pulled a face at the order which received an eyebrow raise from the other. "Are you sure?"

Mello looked like he'd be punched in the face. "What do you mean 'am I sure?' Do I _look_ like I'm kidding?"

L reluctantly went about working on the coffee. As the owner of the café, he knew all the items on there by heart. And the espresso was by far, his least favorite. Judging by the look on the blonde's face, he knew he hadn't tried anything else on the menu. He was sure that if he tried his favorite, he'd love it.

And so, L, defying his own and clichéd rule of 'the customer is always right,' set about working on his newest concoction.

Once finished with the drink – and in less than two minutes – he presented it to the person before him with what could only be described as a triumphant smile.

The scarred man took the drink warily and sipped. For a moment or two nothing happened but then the man started to choke.

"Ah-hak! What the hell is this?" He managed to choke out.

L smilingly said, "Why, that is Eru Flat White."

"But I asked for an espresso!"

"Yes."

"…"

"…"

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?" As the blonde began to raise bloody hell about this blasphemy, the door behind the storage room opened again and out stepped a man who seemed only a few years older than Mello. He had carefully sculpted brown hair and a lean build.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked, clearly angry about the yelling.

"Hello there, Light," L greeted as if there wasn't a blonde about to murder him.

Noticing the blonde himself, said Light raised a questioning eyebrow at the pale man.

"Well, he asked for an espresso."

Light let out a soft growl. "Dammit, L, you can't force other people to like what you do!" He turned to the slightly confused blonde. "I'm so sorry; I'll get you an espresso right away."

With that said he turned around and began to get to work right away. L regarded his business partner with slight disappointment.

* * *

_(Eru Café – Mello's POV)_

When Mello tasted the drink, the first thing that came to mind was that this wasn't espresso at all. Then when the taste actually registered, he reconsidered his favorite drink. Nonetheless, he'd asked for an Eru Espresso and he didn't expect any less. So he did what he did best and raised a tantrum.

As soon as the brunet man came into play and apologized, he calmed down and sat back down on his chair.

Then he felt the ebony-haired man's gaze on him. "That flat white is 3.15."

"What the hell? _You_ messed up _my _order! Who do you even think you are – "

"I'm pretty sure I am, L, the owner of this establishment – "

"Manners, L!"

Mello was ready for another snappy comment when L was jostled out of the way and Light placed an Eru Espresso in front of the blonde.

"On the house," he said with a smile. Then he looked at his partner and the smiling eyes grew into a glare. "You are sleeping on the couch tonight," he murmured.

L seemed defeated while Mello was raised to an entire new level of shock. Not knowing whether to be more surprised that the pale man before him was the owner of his favorite place in the work or that the man next to him was sleeping in the same room as him, he just awkwardly sipped his drink. He silently thanked the Gods that he didn't have to pay for either drink and that he could save the money for another day.

* * *

**FTOYWGAD:** Um...spring break sucks. Just so you know. It's raining. Like a lot. Hope you guys are enjoying yours wherever you are. (^_^) Oh and please review! It makes me post quicker.

**Food For Thought: **According to Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle, an electron doesn't have a definite position; it can be in two places at once. "You imagine a cat in a box. Also in the box is a vial of poison and an electron. If the electron hits the vial, the poison is released and the cat dies. If the electron does not hit the vial, the cat lives. Since initially the electron is in two places at once, the inescapable conclusion is that the cat is both dead and alive at the same time." So there's another theory that there could be two universes: one where the cat is dead and one where the cat is dead. So even the smallest of things can create a domino effect, thus potentially creating an infinite number of universes. Fuckin' awesome is what I say. XD

~Silver

P.S. Most of the Food For Thought (in this one; especially the one in quotes) is taken from a book called _The Last Universe_ by William Stealtor. I don't own that either.


	3. Eru Espresso Macchiato

_**Café**_

_**Chapter Three: Eru Espresso Macchiato**_

**FTOYWGAD: **Okay...so I may have some bad news. I won't be updating this as regularly after a few more chapters. _Anyway!_ On brighter news...well, there's no brighter news..._**EXCEPT**_!

_**IMPORTANT NOTE!**_ If I could make this a font 100 and put it in bright red, I would. But I can't so here goes: I'm attending my first con, AnimeNEXT, this year in June. For the love of God, please, anyone who's reading this, tell me that you're going. My good friend **Kit **(who also beta-ed this chapter by the way) abandoned me so I'm all alone! T.T Even if you leave an anonymous review or message me, I'll feel better to know I'm not alone...Thanks!

**Disclaimer:** I own Death Note…(Hota Ka! I'll do a request story for whoever figures out what that means. ^^)

* * *

_(The Busy Streets of Manhattan, New York)_

The rain from the day before had continued to the day after. And normally, a certain redhead would have been completely fine with that if it wasn't for the fact that he was working that day. Seeing as how he didn't have enough money to buy a vehicle of any sort, he had to run down the dangerous, slippery streets of Manhattan. L may have given him - an inexperience youth - a job but if he was late to even one shift, he was bound to cut his paycheck.

So Matt had been smart and no matter how much it pained him, he got up early. The shop opened at 6:30 AM and he made great time by getting there at 5:45. Throwing a mini congratulatory party in his head for being so clever, Matt walked into the café. Dumping his backpack on the counter, he turned the lights on and started for the storage room. Hoping that the new shipment of beans was already there waiting for him, he opened the door and turned the lights on.

He'd be lying if he said that he wasn't surprised at what he found.

* * *

_(Eru Café)_

It wasn't his fault really. Well, maybe it was. The apartment-complex owner was clear when he told him that the lease was over. That caused Mello to shout so much profanity that mothers had to protect their children's ears. Even more provoked than before, the owner kicked Mello out before he could even get his things from inside the house. He'd been promised they would be sent to him later by a moving company.

Even though he saw it coming, it wasn't fair that he'd only been given a week's warning before his lease was over.

However, the blonde never got a chance to find an affordable place to move into immediately. And so, he did the only thing a normal person would do: he moved into the place he was most comfortable in. True, he had nothing but his too-tight clothes to protect him from the cold, but at the time it didn't matter. And at the time, the idea of actually sleeping overnight at Eru Café seemed logical too. Now that he'd been caught snuggling with a bag of cocoa beans, he wanted to know whether he'd been on drugs when the idea seemed appetizing to him.

"Wha – what?" the redhead before him stammered. The boy clearly was in shock and didn't know what to make of the situation.

"What the hell are you doing?" Mello asked, turning the tables making it seem as if it was Matt who was at the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Wait, what?" Matt asked clearly confused. "Me? I _work_ here! What are _you_ doing?" He eyed the blonde carefully as if he might suddenly pull out a gun and start shooting him.

"Well how do I know you're not an imposter?" Mello winced at the comment. It was clear that he was running out of lies and options.

"…" Matt didn't quite know what to say to that.

Mello took the no response as a victory and quickly got up. He grabbed his jacket that had fallen off of him and made for a hasty retreat. The only problem with that was the only exit was behind Matt.

Mello, feeling more and more embarrassed by the second, made a run for it and tried to dash past Matt.

And he would have made it too. Except, the gamer chose that moment to regain his composure and shot out his hand. In one fluid motion, he caught Mello's slight arm. Not liking the contact, Mello struggled against the taller one's grip. Seeing that he wasn't making any progress he settled for glowering at the younger boy hoping that the heat of his glare would make him let go.

"Get off of me," he bit out.

Matt actually had the audacity to laugh. "If you think you're getting away after camping out in this place, you've got another thing coming."

No one said anything for a while. Suddenly, in a flash of yellow, Mello spun around and wriggled out of the death grip. Thinking he was finally going to get away, he made the mistake of shoving Matt out of the way. Upon contact, Matt, once again, caught the other's shoulders and slammed them against the wall.

Mello let out a loud frustrated yell and began swearing and cursing. To make matters worse, he squirmed and fought against the younger one's grip but only found himself bound firmer.

"Fuck, dammit, let me fucking go! Who do you fucking think you are – "

"Eru Café is a family orientated establishment, so please refrain from using profanity," Matt replied coolly.

Only causing the blonde to yell and scream louder, Matt sighed. He already knew this was going to be a long day.

* * *

_(Eru Café 5:56 AM)_

Matt finally found success in calming the blonde and sitting him down at the bar-counter stools. It had taken him quite a few tries though. At first he threatened him with the police. It was illegal to trespass and worse to sleep over. When he thought he had him for sure by bringing the law into the situation, Matt was more than surprised when Mello just waved the hollow threat away.

"I've dealt with the law more times than I like to admit. Heh, I know my way around them," he'd said.

Not knowing what else to say, Matt made an attempt to threaten him with coffee. He'd promised him that if he didn't cooperate, he'd be banned from the café for the rest of his life. And _that_ got the blonde to lax under Matt's grip. Making sure that he wasn't going to split, Matt let him back into the shop.

He was now sitting on the barstool waiting for Matt to finish opening up. When he finally did, he made them both some coffee, wincing when Mello made a comment about his "shitty" cookery.

"Okay," Matt said, placing the cups in front of the other, "now spill. Why did I find you sleeping in the storage room?"

Mello eyed the coffee before grabbing the cup and taking a gulp. He cringed when the drink seared this tongue and throat.

"This isn't espresso!" He said for the second time.

"No shit, Einstein. It's Eru Espresso Macchiato," Matt said breezily. "You never ordered anything. Now tell me what happened before I take it away from you."

Mello was starting to get pissed off at the mixed up orders. Keeping the fact that he actually enjoyed the drink in his mind, he proceeded to tell his complete stranger part of his life story. What compelled the blonde to actually go through with it was unknown, but he did it.

Sighing, he began, "A week ago I was fired from work."

This got no reaction from the redhead who was probably expecting something like that.

"And it was _not my fault._ Personal relationships got in the way and somehow lead to ... stuff."

Now that caused the gamer to raise an eyebrow behind his goggle-clad eyes. As inconspicuous as the statement was, the Matt knew not to ask questions on that matter. Mello was still staring at his coffee cup like it was the cure for cancer. "So anyway, the point is, I was fired. At the same time, my income was being devoured by apartment bills. Ironically I got a notice that my lease for my place was going to end that week on the same day I was fired."

He laughed bitterly. "Someone up there really hates me.

"So when I kindly asked my landlord for a few more days," Mello remembered the bloody hell he raised that day, "he kicked me out early, before I could even get my things. I didn't have a place to go that night. So I snuck in here and was sleeping peacefully in the sweet smelling storage room until you came along and messed it all up."

Matt, who'd been patiently listening, chose to ignore the comment and didn't miss a beat. "So what are you going to do now?"

Mello smirked. "Park bench. By the end of the night, I'd probably be mistaken for a drug dealer and get recruited into some underground Mafia or something. Then I'd take over it and we all live happily ever after."

Matt didn't know whether that was sarcasm or not. The way this man spoke, it was hard to tell. Either way, it didn't matter.

After all, one man's trash is another man's treasure.

"So you have no where to go?" Matt asked, trying to be subtle.

Mello looked at him like he'd just grown another ear on his face. "Are you deaf or was I speaking Foreignese?"

Matt took that as a yes and asked his next question. "Are you a diligent worker?"

The blonde was taken aback at the question. "What?"

"You heard me."

"I – I guess…" Mello answered suspiciously.

"Okay, that's all I need." With that Matt grabbed his cell phone from his pocket and dialed L's number.

"What are you doing?" Mello asked.

The other man didn't answer. Instead, he just waited for his boss to pick up on the other end.

"_Nnggg!" _The drawled out groan was heard. _"…hah…hello?"_

Matt knitted his brows in confusion. "Light? Is that you?"

"_Yeah…"_ Grunt.

"Are you okay? You sound a little distressed," Matt asked worried.

"_Just…ah! Peachy!" _Moan_. "What do you want?" _

The redhead thought of all the things that could have made the man sound so distressed but he didn't pester. "I was wondering if one of my friends could fill in the job opening we've been having for a week."

"_Hah…ah!" _There was nothing but a few breathy sounds on the other line. _"I'll have to ask L."_

"Oh," Matt's face fell a little at the delay. "Get back to me as soon as you can."

Before he hung up he heard Light calling out and telling him to wait. Then the sounds stopped all together.

There was silence.

Matt shifted from foot to foot as Mello stared at him with a glimmer of expectation.

"_Matt, have I ever told you that you have the worst timing a person is capable of in the history of mankind. You know this isn't the first time you've interrupted me in the middle of my ministrations__."_ L was obviously pissed, but Matt paid no attention.

"Yeah, sorry. Blowjob interruption, my bad. But can we hire my friend?"

Mello snapped his head up at the strange sentence.

"_Well I'll need specifics later on, but I'll trust your judgment on this one."_

"I'm taking that as a yes."

"_Good."_

"Thanks. Oh and I have a question about my paycheck. The last one was 20 dollars short – "

Matt heard the click on the other end and gave up. He flipped his cell phone shut and faced Mello.

"Well, congratulations. You have a job now." Matt smiled, happy that he'd been able to help out a fellow _homo sapien_.

As soon as he began to fantasize about how much of a saint he really was, Mello's sharp voice cut through. "Just fuckin' fantastic!"

Matt's brain stopped functioning for just a fraction of a second.

"Listen, I don't need your sympathy, okay?" Mello bit out. "I'm more than capable of taking care of myself."

When he turned to walk out of the café, he heard Matt chuckle bitterly. "Do you honestly think you're going to make it out there by yourself?"

Mello whipped his head around at the condescending tone.

"I've lived in New York all my life. And don't get started on how you've been here all your life too because I already know. Now that aside, I think we can both establish that there is no way you're going to survive out there," Matt said a-matter-of-factly.

Mello's eyes flared. "You little – ! What do you know anyway? What are you, sixteen, seventeen? You may be big – "

"I'm nineteen."

"Doesn't matter. You may think you're bigger than me but I am three years your senior. Don't talk to me about fending for myself, because I've done more than enough of that for myself," the blonde's chest heaved at the amount of energy he spent yelling.

Matt, seeing that it wasn't his place to speak, let the black-clad man cool off. He sat down on a chair at the lower tables and waited for the other to do the same. When he reluctantly did, Matt spoke.

"Listen, as impossible as this sounds, I'm not taking pity on you. Far from it actually. You're actually the first person to make me not like you in less than five minutes," Matt said casually.

"Awww, I feel the same way," Mello said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Matt rolled his eyes and continued. "But the thing is, I need money too. I'm not saying I'm as bankrupt as you, but all the money I make from this café is going to my college funds. I have nothing to give for my apartment."

Seeing where this was going, Mello nodded.

"So, I'm in desperate need of a roommate right now," Matt said carefully, knowing he was treading a fragile area. "You don't have a place to live right now. And I know I don't even know you at all and you even piss me off most of the time – "

"Get on with it," Mello growled.

"Move in with me," Matt said firmly.

They both stared at each other until Mello sighed. "But – but, this is so sudden! I didn't expect you would do this until we got married!" The blonde said in an over-dramatic soap opera voice.

It took a while for the joke to register in Matt's mind. When it did, both men cracked up and the tense air was extinguished.

"You should have seen your face when you asked me," Mello said shakily, wiping a tear from his face, "you said it so dramatically, I couldn't resist!"

Matt grinned. "So that's a yes?"

"Yeah," Mello said, now surprisingly in a better mood. "But we're gonna have to discuss how we split the bill. And how I'm going to pay off the loan I'm taking from you for the first few weeks, since I haven't started working yet. And what about – "

"We can do all that stuff later on. For now, let's just relax, huh…." Matt suddenly was aware of a crucial fact that was lacking.

Mello stared dumbfounded for a while that he'd just agreed to move in with a man whose name he didn't even know. Matt gave him a look that said that he was thinking the same thing. This caused another lapse into another round of fitful laughter.

"Matt." He offered his hand.

"Mello." He took his hand.

They both shook hands that day making a vow of some kind that even they weren't aware of until much later on.

* * *

**FTOYWGAD:** Whoa, did _not_ see the friendship turn at the end of the chapter. I swear, my fingers moved on their own. Reviews would be fantastic! And AnimeNEXT...? Anyone? *whimpers*

**Food For Thought: **The cake is _not_ a lie. I just ate it. (If you get the reference, I love you).

~Silver


	4. Eru Espresso con Panna

_**Café**_

_**Chapter Four: Eru Espresso con Panna**_

**FTOYWGAD: **So you guys wanna hear my great excuse for posting this up two weeks late? Well, I don't have one. All I can say is that I've slowed down and school just shot it's entire arsenal at my face. So I blew up.

**Disclaimer: **Let me tell you children a story, m'kay? Once upon a time, there was God. And that God liked a man named Tsugumi Ohba. So he gave that man this brain power to come up with the greatest thing known to man: Death Note. The only thing we commoners can do is watch and fangirl about it but we'll never own the beautiful thing. So set back by our inability to gain such splendor, we die a horrible, painful death. The End. ^^

**Dedication:** For the very nice and sweet reviewer **Kemevol**. You're the sweetest and most honest and extensive (meaning you took the time to criticize my stuff) reviewer. So this chapter is for you even though it may not be up to par with the others. Thanks so much. ^^ (Oh and despite your lenience, I'm doing your request-fic. I'll be out...sometime. xD)

* * *

_(Matt's Apartment in Manhattan, New York)_

After the somewhat awkward but accomplishing encounter at Eru Café, Matt asked the blonde to stick around until his shift was over for the day. Luckily it was a Saturday and he had the shortest shift of the week. Happy that his boss was taking over at noon, Matt immediately began working. The day was still dreary and it was still raining so there weren't a lot of customers just yet. Mello sat there watching the younger man hop around cleaning tables, checking the filters, getting the grinding machines ready…it all seemed like hard work. It seemed a step above an odd job and a step below a chosen career. Running the place all alone required skill and even more importantly, social skills.

The blonde had once been a charmer himself but he slipped once he'd started college.

When he saw the redhead interact with well paying customers, he'd expected him to change his personality. He was in for a shock when he noticed that he hadn't changed at all but was genuine the entire time. He greeted them with a warm smile as if that would make the rainy chills go away. And without bullshitting with 'hey nice weather huh?' attitude, he asked for their order. Without delay he began working his magic hands and produced what was most likely the best cup of coffee that lucky customers would have.

He saw the redhead work for a while before he finally got bored when there were no more customers and walked up to whatever he was doing. He sat down in a seat across from him and saw that the table had materialized a laptop and an unbelievable number of loose leaf papers. Surprised at the setup, Mello shot Matt a questioning look.

"Term paper," he replied. Having breaking his train of thought, he loudly sighed and looked at his watch. It was only ten more minutes until he got off of work. Just when he was about to pack everything up, a pale hand grabbed the laptop.

"Hey!"

The blonde scanned the MLA document and recognized the professor this paper was supposed to be handed into.

"You go to Columbia?" Mello asked clearly surprised.

"Yeah," Matt replied, cleaning up the papers and shoving them in his backpack.

"I went there," he murmured, "I had the same assignment too."

Matt snapped his head back at the pure coincidence that his new found roommate had gone to the same school as he was attending. His eyes immediately brightened at the thought that he could have help with his work. "Great. You can help me out then."

"Who said I was going to help?" Mello smirked.

Matt rolled his eyes and grabbed the last of is belongings. "C'mon, let's go."

"Shouldn't you wait 'til your boss comes?"

"Naw, he can handle it," Matt lied, just tasting L's chastising for leaving a few minutes early.

The blonde was more than eager to leave, the excitement for seeing his new home filling his body. He followed the redhead out into the once again busy streets of New York. People passed them by, most of them in a hurry to get to their destination. Some were already taking out their umbrellas wary of the foreboding sky. He even spotted some tourists, many of them as painfully obvious as a red zit upon the buttocks of a baboon at the zoo.

Every person in the world, at least one time in his or her life, feels an overwhelming wave of surrealism. As if everything that was happening at the time was not real but in fact a dream. Mello realized at that moment, he was having one of his very own. No matter how he thought it through, he still couldn't get over the fact that only a few days ago he'd been broke with no job or a place to live. And yet here he was with someone he just met, taking him to his new home.

Lost in thought, the blonde didn't notice the gamer in front of him had disappeared and was waving to him a few blocks ahead. Shaking his head, Mello soon followed and found himself standing in front of a run down building. It wasn't by any means one of those dumps that one couldn't fail to find in a place like New York; but it wasn't a great-looking place either.

"Are you gonna come in or stand out there like an idiot?" Matt was already inside the apartment building, holding the door out for Mello.

Deciding to ignore the gibe, the blonde entered and was surrounded by a boring and slightly-musty lobby. He didn't have time to take in the distasteful décor because Matt was growing impatient. They finally arrived at their suite.

"Brace yourself," Matt said slightly teasing as he jiggled the key. "You may or may not like what you see."

Mello just rolled his eyes and stepped inside. He didn't quite know what he was expecting.

Pink wallpaper with stuffed animals littering the floor?

Whips, gags and handcuffs?

But no. The apartment – or at least the living room – was just…plain. It was the perfect stereotype of a college student's dorm room. In fact, Mello vaguely recalled that his own dorm room was not unlike this one.

"Home sweet home," Matt announced, smiling as he spread his arms. The younger of the two turned on his heel and proceeded to the kitchen where Mello, if he wasn't mistaken, heard the distinct sound of a cat.

_What the hell?_

Peeking inside, he found Matt hunched over something, his striped shirt wrinkling at this abdomen. "Aw, c'mon, I bought this stuff just for you!"

The blonde walked inside to take a better look and saw a black, thin cat with its head shaking disapprovingly at the food Matt was trying to feed it. He tried nudging the catnip but that did little to better the animal's appetite. Before he could try to shove the food down its throat, the cat leaped from the kitchen counter and bounded up to Mello. It landed gracefully near his feet and began purring and rubbing against his leg.

"What?" Matt said turning around, mock hurt decorating his face. "That's bullshit, I take care of you since you were a kit and you repay me by refusing my food and kissing a stranger's ass?"

Mello smirked at the younger man's loss and wrapped his fingers around the feline, hoisting it up to cradle it in his chest. The cat purred contently.

"Feh, traitor," Matt muttered, turning around to deposit his house keys in a small bowl by the microwave.

"Why am I not surprised that you're living alone with nothing but a cat to keep you company?" Mello teased.

The gamer shot him a dirty look and rummaged through the fridge as if he was trying to find something. "I found him in some alley and didn't have the heart to leave him behind."

"Cliché," Mello dismissed, stroking the kit.

Matt snorted. "As if. I later found out that some family owned it and had to return him. The next day I found him in the alley again, beaten up. I didn't call the family that time." He paused. "His name's Billowy."

The blonde almost dropped the cat, catching him in the last minute as he tried very hard not to laugh. "Bi-Billowy?" He asked between snickers.

"Hey, don't laugh!" The gamer defended. "It seemed to fit at the time."

"Were you, by any chance, on crack?"

Matt glared at Mello again. "I don't have to put up with this, you know."

Mello finally controlled his hysterics. "Puh-lease. Keep in mind that you're the one that offered me the place."

"After I found you homeless, unemployed and bankrupt," Matt retorted, taking Billowy and letting it run around.

The blonde's eyes flashed at the mention of his previous, pitiful state. He was going to come back with a harsh remark when Matt chuckled.

"What?" Mello snarled.

"It's just," he said smiling, "we've been roommates for less than an hour and we already had our first fight."

Mello's brows rose at the comment. That _was _true. For some reason, that made him feel slightly closer to the other man. It wasn't like those other times when he found himself getting too attached to a person; those times he would have pushed that person away. However, with Matt, he didn't feel the need to detach nor did he feel an obligation to attach himself. Considering what he already knew about the redhead's egotistical tendencies, he decided not to voice his thoughts.

"I guess we did," he remarked.

"And since I won, I think you get to have the honor of sleeping on my couch," Matt said cheekily walking over to the ugly lump of springs and cloth in the middle of the living room. Mello glared at the piece of furniture trying to bore a hole into the distracting stain on the third seat.

Matt caught his gazes. "Oh believe me, I did _not_ do _anything_ on this couch with _anyone!_"

The blonde's eyes drowned further in confusion but then he realized what Matt was talking about. "You know, I wasn't even thinking that until you brought it up."

Matt flailed his hands in an attempt to gesticulate his protests. "I mean it! I bought it from a friend who had his girlfriend over and she bought her dog. And he had a dog too right, and one was a girl, the other was a boy and I don't know what happened but pretty soon they were going at it on this couch –"

"Oh my God, Matt, shut up!" Mello said, trying to get rid of the disturbing images in his mind. "Honestly, if I wanted an extensive report on animals' mating, I could just turn to the Discovery Channel."

The gamer realized his mistake and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "So I'm thinking you don't want to sleep on here…"

Mello sighed. Obviously he wasn't too happy with it but Matt _had_ taken him in in his time of need. "I'll be fine. As long as there's a goddamn cover to go over this piece of shit."

Matt grinned. "Yes!" He sniffed around a bit to which Mello rose a delicate eyebrow. "Smell that? That's the scent of progress!"

Mello shook his head in disbelief. What in the world had he gotten himself into?

He turned around and made himself familiar with the apartment, all the while trying his best to hide his smile.

* * *

**FTOYWGAD:** So if anyone read _Call Me By Your Name_, you'll get the Billowy reference; plus, Matt and Mello are sooo cat-people. Also, I _do_ get those surreal-moments (not unlike my Movie Moment Modes if you've read that FF) except they're scarier. You know, that feeling when you feel as if everything that's going on happened in such a short amount of time and the situation(s) are at their extremities? No? Oh.

Well, review anyway. Please? *throws pineapples* Eat them!

**Food For Thought:** Scotland's national animal is the unicorn. Pretty awesome, right? xD

~Silver


	5. Eru Café Latte

_**Café**_

_**Chapter Five: Eru Café Latte**_

**FTOYWGAD: **And here, children, is where things are going to get a little ... weird. Both in plot-line and updates. Expect updates to be late. Very late. 'Cuz I'm busy like hell. Nothing else to say except my Pikachu costume for AnimeNEXT is coming along and I hope I'll see some of you there. ^^

**Disclaimer: **I wrote to Santa asking that if I was a good girl, would he give me ownership of Death Note? And then he laughed in my face and told me I was never going to be a good girl what with all my yaoi-filled fanfiction and God-knows-what. Then I wrote him a letter asking him to write his own name in the Death Note.

It didn't go over well.

* * *

_(In The Kitchen of Matt's Apartment)_

The several weeks after their mutual agreement had passed quickly. Well at least for Mello they did. He never thought he would ever be that busy in his life. Even his old job didn't require him to exert so much energy. The café had been a flurry of people just walking in and then walking back out. Learning how to make coffee or other caffeine-related drinks proved to be more difficult than Mello thought. It had taken Matt almost a week and a half to fully train him, not including how to speak properly to customers. (The redhead just about had a heart attack at how the blonde treated people.)

Ultimately, everything fell into a routine with snippets of eventful things happening here and there. Most of them just showed how different the two men actually were from each other.

For instance, their first night having dinner together had been…interesting to say the least.

_(flashback)_

"Matt, what the hell is this?"

The blonde poked the thing on his plate with a fork. It twitched.

"Why Mello," Matt said dramatically, "that's our dinner for the night."

Apparently the redhead was completely unfazed by the slop of _moving_ goo on both their plates.

"Matt, I don't know whether your eyesight was fucked up by playing too many video games, but just incase you couldn't tell, my food if _moving_!" Mello bit out, getting more and more annoyed.

"Yes, but it's edible!" Matt said as if that would solve anything. "I even fed some of it to Billowy. And _he_ likes it."

Mello followed the gamer's finger and found the poor cat passed out on the kitchen counter.

"Augh!" Mello sighed harshly, exasperated. He ignored his housemate who was shoveling the heap of sewage into his mouth and picked up his jacket from their shared closet. The blonde vaguely wondered if Matt's stomach was made of steel to be able to process such spoiled food. He was surprised that after coming home from making coffee, that Matt would settle for such disgusting things.

_(end flashback)_

Needless to say, it had been a difficult week for the both of them, trying to adjust to each other's strange habits. To Mello's surprise, Matt was also a mild smoker. He'd found out when he saw a plethora of cigarette butts lying on the floor where the redhead passed out, most likely from brain overload. He was still working on his term paper.

But the most "exciting" encounter was probably when Mello was taught the rules of the contract by L himself.

"You come to work exactly when your shift starts; not a second earlier, not a second later. Same with when you leave," L had said with the utmost seriousness. "If I see any foul play – like sneaking out the coffee beans or taking all the tips – not only will I fire you, but I'll find a way to make your life as financially, emotionally, and physically miserable as possible."

With that light note, he was whisked away by his business partner who murmured something about minding his manners. Mello learned soon that the man who always kept L in check (and who had impeccable hair that rivaled his own) was Light Yagami. He was a business partner of L's and shared ownership of the café and some of the managerial duties that came with it.

When both Matt and Mello finally got a day off (courtesy of Light offering to take their shifts so that they could better get to know each other), it was only a matter of time before some shopping was in order.

For the past few weeks, both men have been living off of take out and cheap clothing that was over a year old.

"I think," Matt declared as he waved his paycheck in front of Mello (it was still 20 dollars short), "that some shopping is in order."

Mello glared at the piece of paper dangling in his peripherals and smacked the redhead's hand away. "Don't involve me just because you've got money."

Matt stopped in the middle of his happy dance and faced his housemate. "What're you talking about? I _saw_ L give you your paycheck. And it was even the correct amount!"

"All going to your house-bills. And paying my landlord back - the fucking bastard wanted me to pay for the moving company," the blonde muttered.

Matt thought for a few moments before he grinned. "How 'bout we put off paying for the bill and you can come shopping with me?"

This caused Mello to raise his brow. _There is something seriously wrong with this kid._

"Don't you have to work on your term paper?" He asked, changing the subject.

"Forget the stupid paper!"

"Aren't you failing that class?" Mello countered.

"Augh!" Matt yelled exasperated. "You're so difficult!"

"Wake up and smell the reality, idiot." Mello said getting up from the kitchen table and plopping down on the soiled sofa. "I owe too many people money to be spending it on needless things."

The redhead sighed softly and sat next to the leather-clad man. "The _reality_, Mello," he said kindly, "is that it's the first beautiful day we've had in a while and you're in serious need of 'needless things.'" He pointed to a tear in his friend's jeans; which, to a convenient twist of cruel fate, happened to be on his posterior. "Nice undies, by the way."

"Shut up!" Mello yelled and sprinted into the bathroom and quickly got himself dressed to go out. Matt chuckled and watched from behind, finding the situation way too comical for his own good. "Really nice undies."

* * *

_(The Busy Streets of Manhattan)_

"Where are we going?" Mello asked a little annoyed at the sheer amount of _people _around. He lived in the city all his life and he still hated the hustle and bustle of the streets.

They were both standing at the intersection of 42nd street and the Avenue of the Americas…which was – in New York distance – was quite a distance from their apartment. All the walking, random strangers brushing by, the heat of the sun and just those _tacky_ tourists were enough to already put Mello in a bad mood. Surprisingly, Matt was unaffected.

"First, we gotta go to the pet store to get Billowy some food. I don't think he likes my food very much," Matt said seriously which caused Mello to wonder whether his roommate really was that oblivious.

"Then," he continued, "we're going to get some new sets of clothes." When Matt smirked, Mello knew he was thinking of his worn-out pants. "We'll grab some lunch, and if we have time, we can watch the fireworks."

"Gee, Mattie-bunchkins," Mello cooed, "I didn't know you cared so much."

Matt cracked up at that but quickly settled down when he realized he'd been spewing spittle at the passerby in front of him. The light on the other side of the avenue turned from the red hand to the white walking man and the masses started making their way across the pavement.

"You know, if you keep doing that, one day, I'm gonna think you're being serious," the redhead teased.

"You wish." Mello jogged to catch up with Matt. "Why the fireworks in the middle of August anyway?"

"Something about the opening of a new store." Matt waved it off. "Does it really matter? I heard there was gonna be some helluva lot of sky-rockets!"

Mello almost felt like smiling at how much excitement Matt was showing. One would have thought that he never had a proper childhood. It was refreshing, really; to have someone to talk to even though everything you say bounced right off his head.

"Hey, don't walk so fast!" Mello shouted as he dodged a car to keep up. This earned him quite a few honks to which he just flipped the finger.

"You're just too short to keep up," Matt yelled as he sped up again. "Or maybe you don't have as much energy as you think."

"Jesus!" Mello panted as he leaned against the wall. They've been walking for hours. "Where the hell is this fucking pet store?"

"Brooklyn," Matt piped in right next to Mello's ear.

"Shit!" Mello gasped. "I swear if you sneak up like that again, I'll rip your balls off!'

"You can try," Matt offered, smiling. He too leaned a little against the wall, though it was obvious that he was only doing that for Mello to catch his breath.

"Can't we just take the subway?" The blonde asked, panting.

"We could," the other man pondered, "but there's no fun in that. Besides, there are some places I wanna run by."

* * *

_(Sketchy Complex in Brooklyn – 7:00 P.M.)_

Seven pairs of skinny jeans, two sets of vests, an entire shelf of video games (including the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II walkthrough guide), two packets of ground coffee beans, and one new pair of goggles later, Mello found himself waiting outside a small PetSmart. He'd insisted that he hated the smell of dog and stayed outside. But it had been over fifteen minutes since Matt had disappeared in there and now, he began regretting not going in after him.

Not knowing what else to do, he began contemplating whether the name of the pet store was supposed to read 'Pet Smart' or 'Pets' Mart.' Soon he chided himself for indulging in such childish thoughts and shifted from leg to leg, trying to balance the massive amounts of bags he was carrying. Matt said that there could be dogs or other animals inside and didn't want to risk losing or ruining their new things. In other words, "Please hold these twenty pounds of merchandise while I meander through smelly aisles in a 60 degree store."

Just when Mello was fed up with the heat and about to go inside, someone roughly shoved past him.

Since New York City was a place that held thousands upon thousands of people, it was only common for them to bump into each other. However, if it was in the evening and there were less than a handful of people around in a small shopping complex in Brooklyn, Mello had no reason to not lash out.

"Hey, fuck-face," the blonde called out, annoyed. "Watch where you're walking, will you?"

He expected the tall man to keep walking and ignore his comment or at the most, retort with some comeback; but what he didn't expect was for that man to walk back and watch him pick up his bags. When Mello stood back up and finally saw the person who'd so rudely shoved him, he nearly dropped the bags again.

"Oh shit..."

"Why, Mello, I didn't know you were so much better off without your job. You could actually afford to buy new clothes now," the dark-haired man said smiling. It wasn't the type of casual smile that Matt always wore (which also kept Mello at ease) but a more…_sadistic_ smile that managed to startle him. Without warning, the man in the business suit advanced towards Mello.

_Fuck, don't come closer_

"You _are_ better off, aren't you?" He asked, approaching to the seemingly frozen blonde.

_Don't talk to me like that._

"You know, Mello," he whispered, inching closer. He traced his finger at the seam of his scar. "That offer from a few weeks ago still stands. You could always come back to me."

_Get your hands off of me._

"Hey, Mels! Sorry to keep ya waiting. They ran out of cat food but when they found some, one of the pregnant cats went into labor and we had to use my shirt and force the kittens out – " Matt trailed off when he found his roommate literally with only a hairline's distance from him and a total stranger. "Uh…"

Mello snapped out of whatever hypnotic spell the man in the business suit had put on him and backed away.

"I – I have to go," he murmured before turning on his heel and swiftly walking away. Matt took his cue, shot a wary glance the businessman's direction and hurried to catch up with Mello.

The stranger stood there in all his glory, reveling in the fact that he'd hit a cord in his former employee. After staring at Mello's retreating figure, he too walked towards a shady building to seal a business deal.

* * *

_(Time Square – 7:45 PM)_

Mello was still walking impossibly fast and no matter how much Matt tried, he couldn't get an idea of what was going on. All he knew was that some guy – looked like someone whom he already knows – was in way too close to Mello's personal bubble and they'd had a conversation that clearly disturbed him.

For the past twenty-five minutes, the blue-eyed man was nothing but a human bullet darting from spot to spot, intent on not getting touched by anyone. It surprised Matt greatly that he even managed not to get run over, even though he ignored all the traffic signals and went straight ahead (not giving a shit to whether he was going get hit or not). He was even more surprised that Mello refused to let go of the twenty-something pounds of things in the shopping bags he was still carrying.

At this point, Matt knew it would be a bad idea to stop him but he was afraid that if he didn't, the blonde would manage to get himself hurt somehow. So when they reached Central Park (which was a good distance from where they started), Matt grabbed Mello's arms and sat him down. Mello struggled at first, but he lost his resolve when Matt started with the idea of having coffee later.

"Mello, just sit down! We've been practically _sprinting_ for the past half hour!"

"Dammit, let go of me!"

"Mels, if you calm down, I'll treat you to some coffee."

And so, this ended in both men to sit on the bench, their shopping bags (including Billowy's food, which was the only thing Matt got to carry while Mello was on his crazy speed-walk) carefully sandwiched between them.

"So this is how you feel when I go all fast on you, huh?" Matt pondered, slightly panting. He looked over to his companion to find him fidgeting and getting all antsy. Soon, he began picking at his scar, rubbing over it, scratching it and even clawing at it.

For Matt, to put it bluntly, it was annoying. He made quick work of the bags so that they were on the ground in front of them and scooted a little closer to Mello (there were hardly any people there since most of them were either rushing to get to the newly opening store or Times Square for the best view of the fireworks). Matt shot out his hand and gripped Mello's, preventing him from messing up his scar even more.

"It's annoying." Was all he said.

And Mello found solace in, "Fuck you."

"We'll see," Matt said, smiling.

"You wish," the blonde said, without missing a beat.

_Maybe._ Matt thought but found it wise to not voice it.

They sat like that for what seemed to be at least ten more minutes until Matt got tired of the silence and went to buy the coffee he'd promised. Mello offered to watch over the bags.

"What the fuck is this?" The leather-clad man hacked out, as he inspected his coffee cup as if that would solve anything.

"Duh, it's Eru Café Latte." Matt rolled his eyes as if what his partner had just said was eye-roll worthy.

"It tastes like shit."

"You think everything tastes like shit."

"Because it does."

"And would you care to tell me when, my good sir, have you ever actually tasted shit?"

"…shut up."

Matt smirked in victory when Mello began slowly sipping the coffee and turned skywards in search for the soon-to-be-coming fireworks. When none showed up for a good five minutes, Matt constantly kept checking his watch.

"Dammit, they said eight 'o' clock, sharp!"

Mello took a wary glance at his roommate. "Hey."

"Yeah?" Matt asked, a little taken back at the quiet voice.

"You never asked me about that guy in Brooklyn and why I kept walking so fast," the blonde said bluntly. "Or this scar." He pointed to it. "In fact, you never even looked at me funny."

"So?" Matt turned back to the sky. "Look, I know something must have happened. And as much as I would like it to be, it's none of my business." He turned to Mello and flashed a grin. "Besides, I'm guessing that when you feel comfortable enough, you'll tell me yourself."

Mello nodded and kept to himself. Not much later, a boom was heard and Matt was immediately on his feet, wooting and hollering at the colorful display in the sky.

And even though the fireworks and the redhead's voice were louder, Mello still said, "Thanks."

* * *

**FTOYWGAD: **Umm...I'm bored. Like a lot. . Reviews would probably make me feel guilty and write faster. I'm seriously lacking inspiration right now. And WFT (What's The Forecast), it's too fucking sunny. Someone please extinguish the Sun! Nowww!

**Food For Thought: **The speed of light is 186,254.5 miles per second. And a light-year is about 5,864,000,000,000 miles. I know these things because I'm an astronomer, dammit! o.

~Silver


	6. Eru Cappuccino

_**Café**_

_**Chapter Six: Eru **__**Cappuccino**_

**FTOYWGAD: **Wow guys, thanks so much for the feedback. It really kicked my ass into gear. Sort of. My grades are dropping faster than a boner after watching het. Seriously. I'm not that proud of this chapter but it was needed.

**Note: **Does anyone even like the little Food For Thought supplement I put on the bottom? Or does no one even care? O.o I'm curious to know.

**Disclaimer:** No. Thanks so much **Kit** for beta-ing this. You're super-sepcial-awesome! (courtesy of Yu-Gi-Oh The Abridged Series)

* * *

_(Eru Café)_

It was nearing six 'o' clock in the evening and Mello was thoroughly tired. It didn't occur to him that a cold Saturday would attract so many customers and cursed himself for taking up such a busy day. Luckily he had Matt through the entire shift so it wasn't that much of a heavy burden.

"Aw, damn, today's one of _those_ days," Matt all but whined from his spot behind the counter. Mello was busy cleaning up tables and tidying up the sugars and creams. Since he was still a newbie to making coffee, he didn't spend a lot of time behind the counter.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" The blonde snapped, finding his patience thinning. He could only take so many customers at one time. He'd been working since dawn for fuck's sakes!

"Whoa there, Mels," Matt raised his hands in surrender. "Let's simmer down, shall we? Anyway, I was only trying to warn you that we're gonna have to take the graveyard shift."

"The what?" Mello joined the redhead and threw a used rag somewhere within the vicinity of the trashcan and began to lather his hands with soap.

"The midnight shift. For some reason people like coming in during summer nights whether the skies are clear or not." The gamer opened his backpack and spilled his books onto the bar table. "Personally I think it's the tourists since they get most of their time off during the summer and everything. Still, it doesn't matter to L as long as he makes money."

"So I'm stuck here until twelve at midnight?" The fury in Mello's eyes were enough to kill a small puppy. Matt cringed but nodded.

"Mels you signed the contract too, remember? L's allowed to assign you to unexpected shifts as long as it doesn't conflict with anything else."

By now, Matt gave up on his homework – which consisted mainly of his term paper – and opted to watch the news for a while. L had been considerate enough to put a small plasma screen in one of the corners of the room for the "viewing purposes of the kind customer" (L's words). Nevertheless, it never stopped Matt from changing the channel to something he enjoyed despite L's warnings.

Mello finished washing his hands and took a seat across from the redhead, shaking his head at the neglected homework. "That essay's not going to write itself."

"Maybe it will," Matt countered, his eyes leaving the TV for a split second to glance at the blonde. "If I _believe_ hard enough, anything is possible!"

Mello rolled his eyes. "You've watched way too many episodes of Pokemon." Which was pathetically true.

"Shuddup, Mel, Pokemon so pwns."

"Whatever."

Under normal circumstances, Mello would have shot Matt a dirty look and probably would have went on about how stupid his video game obsession was and how stupid it was of him to be smoking so much at the age of nineteen (there was never a day that went by without Mello bitching about how smoky it was in the apartment). This time though, the older man just grabbed the scientific calculator that was supposed to be doing homework and took out his own packet of envelops. Pretty soon, he was working hard, calculating the amount of money he owed to his landowner, old electricity bills and a lot of debt. Not to mention, he added the amount of money he needed to pay rent for and miscellaneous things like groceries and the rabid shopping spree they had been in a few days ago. Considering the he paychecks he got from L, he was still in some deep shit.

Mello cursed and fisted his hair in frustration.

Matt just watched, knowing better than to say anything. In all honesty, he wasn't surprised. Lately – right after their shopping-outing even a few days ago – the blonde stayed…detached? Matt couldn't find the right word, but the point was that Mello wasn't the same person. It wasn't as if he didn't talk to him or anything because he did. And most of the time it was to make fun of him or call him stupid when his test scores came in. Matt was okay with that because that was what he used to do. But recently, those insults became weaker and Mello worked extra hard with customers so that they would leave him a tip. A few times, Matt had even caught him doing extra shifts while he was in college. When he tried to ask him what was going on, Mello just pretended that he didn't know what he was talking about and went on to do whatever it was he was doing.

And that frustrated Matt to no end.

He didn't know how long he was staring at Mello's hunched figure across from him but after a while he noticed that the older man's shoulders were moving up and down steadily.

_Leave it to Mello to fall asleep at a time like this._

But it didn't come off as a surprise, really. Taking into account how much the blonde worked and how long he would stay up at night trying to find another part-time job, he was bound to be tired.

Matt tried to look and see if Mello was tricking him but he couldn't see the blonde's face since it was buried in his arms, his golden hair splaying over them.

For a wild moment, Matt wondered what kind of shampoo he used.

When he realized what he was thinking, he shook his head and awkwardly laughed at his thoughts.

"Stupid thoughts," he muttered.

The redhead debated on whether it was okay to wake up the blonde but decided against it. An angry Mello would only result in a decapitated Matt.

And so, the gamer spent the rest of the night watching TV, occasionally glancing at his homework to see if his work ethic would kick in. It didn't. He did, however, find himself staring at Mello. Which, much to his confusion and annoyance, was becoming a frequent occurrence.

It was weird.

He'd barely known the blonde for a month and yet they fell into such a comfortable routine. There was never an awkward silence or a boring day. Between the older man bitching about how he needed his coffee _right fucking now_ or Matt's constant screaming at the TV for Modern Warfare II, they always fit right in with the situation. It was as if there was a puzzle piece missing from their lives and they hadn't even realized it was missing until they've met. And it was beginning to bother Matt.

It wasn't that he didn't like Mello. Because if he didn't, they wouldn't have such a balanced relationship going for them. No, it was more of an internal conflict.

Matt often found himself not waiting to get out of college classes to go spend his free time with Mello (even if Mello shot down most of his requests to go to the arcade). It would distract the hell out of him during boring lectures. He'd sometimes wonder what the blonde would do around the apartment when he wasn't around but was too afraid to ask. It was beginning to bother him how much he was starting to be dependent on Mello; whether it is financially, academically, for entertainment or just plain company. It was no longer a neutral relationship. It was starting to become a small friendship. And frighteningly enough, Matt was actually enjoying it.

However, Mello as a person was totally different.

The guy was strange. He had a scar covering, not just his face, but the whole left of his upper body. Then there was that time he found a slim revolver underneath the couch while he was playing video games. When Matt questioned the blonde about the gun (right after he freaked out – in a very manly way mind you, if that shrill shriek was anything to go by), the only answer he got was a soft grunt and a slap to the back of his head when he didn't accept the answer.

Mello wouldn't tell Matt anything.

And Matt didn't know how much longer he could go. If there was anything he hated, it was being left in the dark.

_Still,_ the gamer thought, sighing. _It's good to finally have some goddamned company. _

By now, Matt gave up on television and opted to just stare at Mello, wondering how in hell he ended up sharing a home with someone like him.

The door snapped him out of his musing when he saw that it was opening.

_It's quarter to eleven…and still raining, _Matt noticed, realizing that he'd managed to kill a few hours._ Who the hell wants caffeine at a time like this?_

Regardless, Matt forced a smile and walked over to where he could handle the customer. He shot a wary glance at Mello but decided that him taking a small nap would be harmless.

There wasn't a lot of lighting in the café because of some technical difficulties with the thunder. So at first, Matt couldn't really see who the man was, but he was generous enough to bring an umbrella and not drip all over the floor.

"Welcome to Eru Café, what would you – oh."

Matt's smile faltered when he noticed just who the man actually was. He should have been able to tell by the silhouette or the business suit but he didn't realize until the customer was right across the counter.

"Oh," he said stupidly. "It's you."

The dark-haired man raised an amused eyebrow at the statement but said nothing else. The calculating dark eyes roamed around the café and his mouth was set in a small frown in disapproval. Matt, out of reflex, gave Mello a quick glance. The action didn't go unnoticed by the stranger.

"So my assumptions are confirmed," he muttered, still gazing at the sleeping form of Mello. His once frowning lips curled into a smirk.

Matt narrowed his eyes and he suddenly found himself not liking his man one bit. The way he was staring at the blonde was as if he knew something Matt didn't. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Mello stir a little and knew to quickly get rid of the man. He doubted that Mello would be happy to see him anyway.

"What can I get for you, sir?" He asked politely, his voice straining.

The man turned back towards him but his eyes still had that 'holier-than-thou' glint in them. Without another word, the businessman turned on his heel and stalked out of the café, his umbrella going up in the process.

Matt's fists tightened when he was bluntly ignored by the man. Obviously he didn't know who he was but whoever that man was, Matt had a feeling it would be best to avoid him at all costs. He snapped out of his train of thought when he saw Mello shift.

It was now eleven 'o' clock at night and the streets were nearly empty. Matt saw no reason to stay in the café any longer.

He quietly walked to Mello and saw that the blonde was sprawled all over his bills and Matt's homework.

"Hey."

The redhead tried shaking the blonde's shoulder but looking at the faint lines of exhaustion decorating his face, it was clear that he was in no shape to be working. He shook the slim shoulder again but Mello only buried himself deepener into his cocoon of arms.

"Mels," Matt said a little more firmly. This time he shook a little more. "Wake up."

"Fuck," the blonde muttered. He slowly stood up from his chair and stretched. "Shit, how long have I been out?"

"A few hours." Matt refused to meet those blue eyes or even look at the smaller man.

"Any customers?" Mello frowned at the time and began gathering all his things.

Matt paused and fidgeted. _Shit, what the hell do I do now? I can't exactly say 'Oh yeah. There was that one guy who creeped on you a few weeks ago. Yeah he was here and he practically ogled you with his eyes and left, treating me like shit._ Matt's intuition wasn't the best in the world but even he knew that that would not go over well. "Not really."

Mello raised his eyebrows at the hesitant answer. Surely there must have been _some_ customers. "Whatever."

Matt nodded dumbly and followed Mello in packing up his things. As he was doing that, he became increasingly angry about the entire situation. On one hand, he knew that there was something going on between that creep and Mello. On the other hand, Mello would tell him nothing. It was aggravating and it was scaring him about frustrated he was getting.

"C'mon loser, I want to get out of here," Mello called to Matt as he opened the umbrella.

Matt grinned despite himself and approached the blonde, his messenger bag secure around his shoulder. "You're gonna have to let me hold the umbrella. You're too short to hold it for both of us."

Mello's expression turned into a dangerous one but Matt just grinned and took the umbrella anyway. "Let's go shorty! I wanna get some sleep too."

In the back of his mind, Matt knew that he would somehow find out who that strange man was and how he was related to Mello, but for now, he was just content with the Mello who managed to abuse him while staying under an umbrella in the pouring rain.

* * *

**FTOYWGAD: **Please tell me what you think. I'm iffy here on the plot so tell me what you would like to see or what you think will happen. Still too sunny. I swear, I'm getting blinded every time someone opens the windows. REVIEW DAMMIT!

**Food For Thought: **Strawberries are polyploidy. Which means that while humans have two sets of chromosomes, strawberries have eight. Talk about complications during mitosis. (I'm such a nerd.)

~Silver


	7. Eru Cafe Breve

_**Café**_

_**Chapter Seven: Eru **__**Cafe Breve**_

**FTOYWGAD: **Yeah, I know. Kill me. But seriously, it's not my fault. Remember the Russian moose from Twist? Yeah, he's back. And he's totally taking me to the restaurant at the end of the Universe (Multi-verse?). But I digress. My Russian moose apologizes for making post this chapter up too late.

**IMPORTANT ****Note:** Anyway, this may be the last chapter of Cafe in a while. I'm going away this summer and I won't have internet connection (or at least I don't _think_ I will). I _may_ have just one more out but no promises. If you want more information on this go to my site on my profile. Sorry guys but I did warn you that chapters will be unstable.

**Disclaimer:** …Thanks so much **Kit** for being my beta and being a nice person in general!

Enjoy! (While you still can. ._.)

* * *

_(Eru Café – 12:00 PM)_

Mello was paranoid.

Considering the circumstances, he had every right to be. It's been months since he'd gotten the job at Eru Café and he was satisfied with the fact that he'd gotten used to his new life. There was still a lot of debt he had to repay but income was steadily trickling in. The amount of money he spent on the shopping spree was now finally back and he could concentrate on his landlord's last rent. There was only one problem. And he was a redheaded, chain-smoking, delicious-coffee-making, video game addict.

It wasn't that Mello minded helping the younger man with his term paper or even the time he spent with him. In fact, he found himself enjoying – although he would never admit it – the other's company and even looked forward to it. It was unknown whether the feeling was mutual with Matt but based on his reactions to Mello, one would guess so.

Mello liked Matt.

That was a strange feeling because Mello did not like people in general. Especially ones who smoke, play mindless video games and have cats named Billowy. Yet, there was aloofness in Matt that made him seem carefree, independent and utterly, well, ignorant. They put Mello at ease; as if being with Matt would guarantee his safety or replace what had previously taken place in his life.

But the reason Mello was paranoid was because Matt had started acting weird. All of a sudden the redhead had taken an interest in Mello's personal life. Well, not personal exactly but more about Mello than he would have liked to give away.

Matt had come home from his midday classes and without warning asked Mello if he had any siblings. When it would be the blonde's turn to cook, he'd watch from the small kitchen table and ask if he ever missed his parents.

Of course, Mello acted as if Matt hadn't said anything and if he was forced to answer, he'd make very vague remarks and immediately leave the premises. He didn't give away any important information, but the fact that Matt even wanted to know these things all of a sudden put him on his guard.

It all started after their first midnight shift together. Now that he thought about it, Matt did seem a little strange when he asked him about any customers…

"Mello! Please do not daydream on the job. After all, today is a busy day and I would like to make quite a profit if you don't mind," L shamelessly proclaimed while he opened up a new bag of ground beans. Out of instinct, Mello sniffed the air and took a whiff of the pungent smell, earning another chastising look from his new boss.

"Really Mello, please act like the employee, not the customer."

The blonde rolled his eyes and walked over to the counter where a customer awaited him. L had been on his case since morning and since Matt wasn't there to take half of the shit he was being given, it was getting harder and harder to keep his temper. Mello did, however, behave himself because L was the man who gave him the job that he desperately needed. After Matt recruited him, L had carefully kept an eye on him along with Light to make sure he was okay.

"Two plain, large cappuccinos," Mello called to L. The older man nodded slightly and began to work as Mello handled another customer. Even though it was a weekday, the café increasingly got busier and busier. As usual, Mello took the early shift along with Matt but when the redhead had to go to classes (and he had a _lot_ of classes), he panicked. He knew that he wouldn't be able to talk to so many people, much less make coffee for them. Matt, bless him, had taken the liberty to call L when he came to the same realization. And so, begrudgingly, L gave up his day off to save Mello.

Which is why he was so pissed.

Mello didn't know exactly why the owner was so put off but he had an idea that it had something to do with Light. He caught him grumbling about the brunet a few times and wondered what exactly their relationship was.

Regardless, he just followed the older man's orders wishing for his shift to be over already.

* * *

_(Columbia University)_

Matt was trying his hardest to keep his eyes open but found himself nodding off. English had always been his worst subject and he now wondered why he was even taking that class in the first place. Honestly, this was his longest class; mainly because it was the last class of the day and he'd get to see Mello soon.

It wasn't a secret that Matt wasn't a popular guy. While most students stayed in the dorms and attended parties almost everyday, Matt preferred to curl up in his apartment and play the latest video game. He had very few friends and even those friends began to drift apart since the beginning of the year. And damn him if he didn't get lonely.

"Matt." The redhead felt a slight pressure on his shoulders. He opened his eyes just a fraction to see the source of his disturbance. "The professor will get angry if you keep this up."

Groaning, Matt straightened out and absently scratched his cheek. "Says the kid who is solving a jigsaw puzzle." He pointed to the white puzzle pieces on the desk.

Near was the only one Matt even spoke to anymore. He didn't know whether he even counted as a friend since the boy wouldn't utter more than three words a day. The kid was a genius, no doubt about it. He was only seventeen and he already ranked first in his division. The only place he was lacking in was socially. Which was fitting since Matt was the same case.

Ignoring the older boy's comment, Near mumbled something to himself and returned to his puzzle. Soon after, the professor dismissed the class, reminding them of their term paper. Matt slung his bag over his shoulder and saw Near do the same. Wordlessly, both boys made their way out of campus. Matt immediately popped his goggles back on when he saw how hot and sunny it was outside. He refused to meet the full extent of sunlight. The stuff almost blinded him. Near waited for Matt before they both continued walking.

When they reached the point where they separate, Near turned towards his acquaintance. Matt expected him to give him the usual "Goodbye" or a nod but was surprised when he spoke.

"You're happier than usual, lately," the pale boy commented.

Matt raised an eyebrow but then allowed a slow grin to spread to his face. "I forgot to tell you. I got a roommate now."

Near's face remained blank but his lips curled slightly. "Good. Goodbye, then."

Matt watched as the seventeen-year-old stalked off and smiled to himself. He'd have to get Near and Mello to meet. He knew they were polar opposites and would probably bicker all the time but it was an impulse sort of thing so he didn't fight it.

Matt turned on his heel and walked towards his apartment, albeit a little hurriedly, his eagerness to see Mello almost scaring him. Once he reached it, he quickly waved hello to the lobby manager and sprinted upstairs, not even bothering to use the elevator.

He heard Mello before he saw him.

"FUCKING PHONE! WORK, DAMMIT!"

Matt didn't know whether to chuckle at the display before him or cower in fear at the look Mello was giving him. After closing the door behind him he petted Billowy and let the cat go do whatever it was cats did. He slipped his bag off of him and threw it on the coffee table.

"Having trouble, Mels?" Matt tried not to snicker. He failed.

"Fuck you, Matt!" The blonde desperately tried to untangle himself from the wires of the phone. The curly chord was wrapped around his head and arms, preventing him from moving around too much. His hair was a mess, sticking out everywhere and his pale fingers were still jabbing at the numbers on the phone. "Who doesn't have a fucking _cordless_ phone? Gah!"

Matt gave up and went over to help his roommate, despite his protests.

"Dammit Matt, get off of me. I can do this myself!" Mello squirmed but Matt caught his wrists in one hand and held them still. He used his other to carefully unwrap the cord, inflicting as less pain as possible to Mello.

"There," Matt said satisfied as Mello – who was strangely a little flushed – glared at the freed phone. "How did you end up like that anyway?"

Mello turned around and fell on the couch, his black wife-beater riding up a little. He tugged it in an effort to cool himself down, not liking how warm it was getting. It wasn't exactly sunny outside but the air was so thick with humidity, it could have been cut by a butter knife.

"I tried to call your cell when the stupid cat tripped me," Mello grunted, trying to fix his mussed hair.

Matt walked into the kitchen and looked around in the refrigerator for something to eat. He hadn't had anything since lunch and listening to a bunch of English old guys rant Shakespeare took a lot out of a person. The entire kitchen, including the pantry, was devoid of edible food.

Shit, they had to go shopping again.

"Why were you calling me?" Matt returned and joined Mello on the couch. Mello was lying down so Matt had no where to sit but on his legs. So he did.

"Ow, shit, Matt, you're not a fucking feather, you know!" Mello hissed and quickly removed his leg from under the redhead. He then looked away, still not answering Matt's earlier question.

"I got bored," he mumbled after a minute.

Matt stared for good thirty seconds before a full-fledged grin spread across his face. He removed his goggles and shoved them to the top of his head. Even his angry and grumbling stomach was forgotten at the flat admittance.

"Awww, you missed me!" Matt latched on to the smaller man's pale arms in a show of affection. Mello immediately batted him away, profanity flying out of his mouth.

"Fuck! No Matt, I did not miss you! Now get off before I lodge my foot down your throat."

"Okay, okay." Matt did as he was told, wondering if Mello would actually go through with his threats. He seemed like the type of person who would. Even if he would, Matt didn't care. It was just another reminder that Mello was starting to feel better again. Whatever was eating at him before the midnight shift had ebbed away, giving way for the real Mello.

_Still,_ Matt thought. _It would be nice if he was more open with me._

"How was work?" He asked when Billowy climbed on his lap and purred.

"Boring as fuck. L wouldn't stop bitching about his day off," Mello mumbled, resting his head against the armrest. He really wanted to splay out on the couch and take a long nap but Matt was there. He must have started to doze off because he hear Matt chuckle in the background and say something about Sleeping Beauty.

Whatever the hell that meant.

Before he could even do anything, Matt grabbed his legs on the floor and hoisted them back on the couch where he'd been sitting. His night sheets were thrown over him and he vaguely remembered the air condition being turned on.

* * *

_(Mello and Matt's Apartment – 7:00 PM)_

Mello woke up to the smell of dinner. And that was strange because the only person in the apartment was Matt and when Matt made dinner, it would be accompanied with the smell of smoke since he always managed to set something on fire. Worried, Mello hastily threw the covers off himself and raced into the kitchen. He found Billowy on the counter and Matt scooping out some take out in the cat bowl.

"Mornin' Mels," Matt chirped even though it clearly was not. "Get enough beauty sleep?"

Mello raised an eyebrow. Matt was wearing his pajamas (which were frighteningly an obnoxious shade of red with a bunch of 1up mushrooms decorating it) and his goggles were still around his neck. Billowy made a noise and scurried away from his dinner.

"Dammit, why don't you ever let me feed you?" Matt yelled after the feline as it disappeared out of the kitchen.

Mello combed his fingers through his hair, trying to tame it. "You actually bought dinner this time," he said approvingly.

"Yeah." Matt chuckled as he handed Mello his lo mein. "I figured that if I food-poison you, it'll be hard to find another roommate soon."

Mello rolled his eyes at the sarcasm and began eating. He only had breakfast and the work L put him through had exhausted him so much, he'd nearly forgotten about his hunger. He was halfway done with his box when he felt a pair of eyes staring at him.

"Matt, you're staring again."

To Mello this wasn't a surprise seeing as how Matt would always stare at him before asking him a question. Lately, the staring has gotten more frequent and Mello was still debating whether he disliked it or not.

The younger man looked startled for a moment before he realized that he actually was staring at Mello again.

_Dammit. I need to stop doing that._

"Mello?"

"Hm?" Mello hummed, almost finished with his meal.

"Let's take this weekend off, 'kay?"

At that, Mello almost spit out what food was left in his mouth. When he swallowed, he looked up at Matt, his expression incredulous. "What? Why?"

"'Cause," Matt replied vaguely as he began to work on his own food.

"Matt, I'm going to need a better reason than ''cause.' I'm fucking drowning in debt if you haven't realized." Mello finished off his food and got up to throw the trash away. He leaned against the kitchen counter and stared expectantly at Matt.

"Well, I was thinking," he started, his fingers twitching. It was a habit he had when he got nervous, Mello noticed. "Maybe we could hang out or something…"

Mello cocked a brow.

"You know, if you want to, that is!" He amended, not wanting Mello to feel forced or something. "Besides, I sort of want you to meet a friend of mine."

This got Mello's attention. Matt was acting weird, yes; and by spending more time with him, he would only be attaching himself.

Mello glanced at Matt and saw his eyes glistening with eagerness and hope. Dammit, he was getting soft.

"Fine, you win," he mumbled as Matt let out a whoop of victory. "But if it's the same friend with the dog that shot his load all over my couch, I'll castrate him."

* * *

_(Midnight)_

"No."

"Please Near?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"No."

"Pretty please with sugar and whipped cream on top?"

"Matt, I do not care whether your pleas are attractive or have various condiments on top of them. I do not wish to meet this person."

"Hey, this person happens to be my roommate," Matt defended into his cell phone. For the past half hour, he'd been trying to get Near to meet with Mello and so far, it was futile.

"Matt, it is midnight, and I wish to go to sleep. Please hang up and do not call again."

"But Neaaarrrr!" Matt whined, making sure his voice was quiet. Mello was sleeping and if he woke up, Matt was sure he'd be missing a pair of testes.

"Matt – "

"I'll give you discounts for Eru Café for a month." As an employee Matt was supposed to get certain privileges like discounts. But he worked for L and L never gave anything for free. (Except for blowjobs. But that was only exclusive to Light so it didn't count.) But that didn't stop him from trying to coax Near into meeting Mello. The boy liked to act apathetic but Matt knew that inside, he loved L's coffee. That theory was confirmed when Near paused on the other line.

"Two months."

"Okay, whatever. Will you come?"

"Of course. Whatever gave you the impression that I would not come?"

_Bitch._ Matt thought but smiled anyway. "See you then, sheep."

He didn't know what possessed him to convince Mello and Near to meet each other. Now that he thought about it, it was probably a horrible, horrible plan.

What the hell was he thinking?

That's right. He wasn't thinking.

It didn't matter. Mello needed a break and with all the suspicious shit going on, Matt was getting a headache. They both needed an outlet besides coffee, cigarettes and videogames.

* * *

**FTOYWGAD: **So what did you guys think? I introduced Near here and I really want to know whether you guys like where this story was going so far. So please review. I know chapters may not be fast but reviews are like energy drinks. They make me write faster! :D And thanks about he Food For Thought input. I'm glad people enjoy my geekiness.

**Food For Thought:** Geneticists today have the ability to genetically engineer almost any living organism. Whether is be a unicellular bacteria or a mammal. Recently, however, a scientists have made the world's first synthetic cell. Meaning it was all made in a laboratory with no help from Mother Nature whatsoever. What I find fascinating are other people's opinions on this. Do you guys think that humans should meddle with nature to help further their species or let nature take it's course? I'm really curious to see what you guys think so give it some thought and tell me in your reviews. :D

~Silver


	8. EruEspresso Roast

_**Café**_

_**Chapter Eight: Eru**__**Espresso Roast**_

**FTOYWGAD: **You guys better be happy that I could update this. To be honest, vacation totally sucks as of right now so that's why I finished this chapter. And I'm not really all that proud of it either. Oh and AnimeNEXT was awesome! :D Uh…not much to say. Wait, wait, no, I do have something to say: last night, I saw a cow and it was eating out of a garbage can, I swear it was there!

Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** Urgh…

* * *

It would have been easy to say that the meeting between Mello and Near had gone smoothly. Then again, easy didn't always mean honest. The events that actually took place in the span of that week were so chaotic, Matt could barely understand what was going on.

Before the weekend even started, there were issues.

_(flashback)_

"I would be laughing right now if it weren't for that fact that there is a 39% chance you're actually being serious with what you are saying." L sat and tucked his legs underneath himself (a position Mello still couldn't not get used to seeing) and ravished a mini-donut in his mouth.

"L, we _are_ being serious," Matt insisted as he poured milk into one of the cups. Friday. It just_ had_ to be another busy day. "Mels and I want the weekend off. Especially him 'cause he's been working his ass off for you since Day One."

Mello glared at Matt from where he was cleaning up one of the tables. "Don't talk as if I'm not here."

Matt ignored the blonde and continued. "And look, even Light agrees." He pointed to the brunet that was currently taking orders from four people at the same time.

"Do _not_ bring me into this," the co-owner said warningly.

"Light happens to be on my side," L pointed out as he poured himself a cup of coffee, making no effort whatsoever to help with the number of customers that were currently pouring in.

"I'm on _nobody's _side," the brunet corrected, not taking his eyes off the macchiato he was making.

"Whatever," Matt waved off the comment. "Look, L, just this weekend and I promise I'll work my ass off for the next few weeks." He began working on more orders while Mello joined them behind the counter and deposited his cleaning materials in their respective places.

"That's the worst lie in the world if I've ever heard one," L said blankly, his fingers already molesting another sweet.

"I mean it, c'mon, please?" The redhead was close to begging and it was utterly fascinating to Mello. The blonde finished his cleaning duties and sat on one of the barstools, right across Matt and L.

The café was very busy so the smell of caffeine and cocoa beans escalated. It was also a particularly humid day outside, despite the fact that the sun was nowhere to be seen. Mello tugged on his white uniform vest and frowned at his sweaty palms.

Before L could retort with another blatant rejection, Light intervened.

"Look L, why don't you just give them a day off?"

"You _are_ on my side," Matt yelled happily.

Light rolled his eyes and ignored him. "It's not as if we can't handle the café ourselves."

L raised an invisible eyebrow at the mass of businessmen and businesswomen that were practically fist fighting to get to the front of the line. Regardless, this was Light speaking and if his judgment showed that Matt and Mello deserved a break, who was he to stop them (besides being their boss, of course)?

"Very well," L said thoughtfully, putting his donut down. "You'll get this Saturday off but I expect you two back at work on Sunday, twelve 'o' clock exactly."

Matt whopped in victory while Mello allowed for a discreet smile to grace his lips.

_(end flashback)_

_

* * *

_

_(Mello and Matt's Apartment – Saturday)_

Matt, Mello decided, was an utter moron.

It didn't matter that he was trying his best to put the fire out with his beloved vest, because in Mello's mind, if he started the fucking fire,he should put it out. And so, the blonde calmly stood to the side and watched the flames eat their kitchen while Matt desperately tried to save their charred dinner.

Or something like that.

"GODDMANIT MATT, I _SAID_ I WOULD FUCKING COOK! WHO THE FUCK MANAGES TO SET THE KITCHEN ON FIRE BY _MAKING A SALAD?_"

Mello immediately found a small fire extinguisher near the bathroom ('cause according to Matt, his piss could potentially be a fire hazzard) and hosed the stove down. By this time, Matt was still freaking out and flailing his vest around as if that would solve any problems. One glare from Mello told him to shut up. The redhead laughed nervously and sat on the kitchen table.

"Did I mention that I wasn't a good cook?"

Matt smiled but soon wished for his goggles as if those could protect him from the heat of Mello's glare. The older of the two warily walked over to the black mass of metal on the stove and peered inside.

"No soup for dinner then," he muttered, "it's burnt so badly, it looks like tar."

"Mels, that's supposed to be the chicken."

Mello choked.

The redhead smiled sheepishly and twitched his fingers again. "Um…no salad either." He hitched a thumb toward the far end of the counter where various vegetables were in a mush decorating half a head of lettuce. The mayonnaise and dressing dripped on to the floor.

It was then when Mello decided that Matt was never going to set foot in the kitchen ever again.

"I'll order pizza," the gamer called, already at his cell.

Mello sighed and watched as his roommate animatedly spoke with the pizza guy and their enthusiasm for pepperoni. For the past half hour, both men have tried and attempted to make dinner for their guest who was due to meet them in an hour. It was apparent that they wouldn't get anything decent done in the time given.

Mello picked up a rag from a corner and began to clean up the havoc Matt had wrecked. Five minutes into the cleaning process, Mello gave up trying to get rid of the burn marks and just disappeared into the bathroom. He frowned at his ruined wife-beater and sweaty jeans. Deciding that a shower was in order, he turned the hot water on and began to remove his clothes.

If Matt ordered pizza from the nearest parlor, then it would arrive in twenty minutes. And in forty minutes from now, their guest – whoever the hell he was, since Matt refused to speak about him prior to their introduction – would arrive. Mello didn't give much thought to the guest since the entire fiasco could be Matt's idea of making friends.

_Still,_ Mello thought as he removed the last article of his clothing, _I rather like Matt as my friend. _

Blinking at himself in the mirror for thinking such strange thoughts, Mello splashed water onto his face. He then turned on the shower, in hopes of not freezing to the point of hypothermia when he washed himself.

It was almost a daily occurrence now, for him to get such attached thoughts about his roommate. In the end, Mello blamed notion on the overexposure to caffeine.

The blonde examined his naked body in the only full-length mirror in the apartment. He tried to focus on his pasty skin or how he desperately needed to eat more (if the visible ribs were anything to go by). But as per usual, his line of vision directly went to his ugly scar. Mello frowned at the angry burn that ran all the way from the top of his head to the reaches of his left hip. It was as if half of his body was someone completely different.

In a way, it was.

Because the shower was running (and also because the Fates decided to play a cruel joke on the boys), Mello couldn't hear any noises outside the bathroom when he reached for the shower curtain.

Then the door opened.

For a while, Matt just stared owlishly at Mello's figure – which was, again, completely naked. Matt would have just as easily kept on staring if it wasn't for Mello realizing what had just happened.

And so began the epic tossing of anything Mello could find that was within his reach.

"JESUS FUCKING CHRIST, MATT, CAN'T YOU DO ANYTHING RIGHT?" Mello shrieked eloquently. "YOU CAN'T JUST FUCKING WALK INTO THE FUCKING BATHROOM WITHOUT FUCKING KNOCKING!"

First thing that went through Matt's mind was to put up a swear jar as soon as possible because he was sure he could make a fortune off of Mello's bad language.

Second thing that went through Matt's mind was to duck because Mello had frighteningly good accuracy at flinging his shampoo bottles, his shaving cream and razor and other toiletries.

He failed to do so and would suffer major bruises the next day. For the time-being, he needed to get the hell out of the bathroom before Mello took his eye out with his own toothbrush.

* * *

_(In the Living Room)_

Well that wasn't expected.

Matt tenderly rubbed the sore spot on his forehead where his goggles should have been. It was that stupid Garnier shampoo that was so heavy; it could potentially kill someone if used properly (via Mello).

It wasn't as if it was his fault. Yes, maybe he should have knocked and maybe it would have helped if he knew where Mello was in the first place. But he desperately needed to wash his hands and the cheap kitchen soap wasn't cutting through the smell.

Still, Mello didn't have to permanently cause bodily harm to him. What was one supposed to do when he walked in on his roommate naked anyway?

Matt muttered something incoherent when he sat down on the couch, albeit slowly, afraid he might hurt something else. As his karma would have it, as soon as he sat down, the doorbell rang.

The redhead frowned at the pizza delivery boy, still rubbing his forehead. Before the teenager could even say anything, Matt shoved a twenty in his pimply hands, snatched the pizza and shut the door. What the hell was he doing there so early anyway? Hastily, he dumped the box in the kitchen and sank back into the couch, not feeling hungry anymore.

Matt stopped rubbing his soon-to-be-bruises and fisted his hair. For some reason, one other than the fact that he was in pain, he was uncomfortable with what had just happened.

Then again, there would a problem if he _wasn't_ disturbed by what he had seen.

But that was just it: he wasn't disturbed.

Mello looked…nice, Matt's confused brain decided. He should probably start eating more and relax once in a while but he definitely wasn't someone bad to look at. In fact, he was very nice to look at.

Matt winced when one of his bruises – on the forehead again – started throbbing.

Going by how Mello reacted to the humiliating accident, Matt would probably have his eye sockets cleaned out if he tried anything like that again. On top of that, Near was coming over. This called for a total BS session where they would both pretend nothing strange happened.

Totally.

* * *

_(Matt's Bedroom)_

Mello walked into his roommate's bedroom and clutched his already tightly wrapped towel. It was stupid for a man to be covering himself from his chest but his scar was very prominent there. No one should have to look at that.

Making sure that no one was in the hallway, he snuck into Matt's bedroom – where he usually kept his clothes in a neat pile before he showered – and shut the door. Again, making sure that none of the windows were open and that there was no one behind the door, he dropped the towel and began to dress.

The entire while, Mello frowned, utterly frustrated and angry. Matt really was a fucking moron. What kind of idiot just walked in on someone like that? Did he _not_ hear Mello take a shower; did he _not_ even have the thought to knock?

The blonde grabbed a small chew toy and threw it against the wall where it let out a small squeak. In that instant, Billowy came in – Mello never found out where from – and stared curiously at the abused toy. He then noticed Mello's presence and nuzzled against the man's leg.

Not able to stay so enraged any longer, he sat on the messy bed after dressing. Stroking Billowy's ears, Mello let out an aggravated sigh, unsure whether he'd be able to face Matt after what he had seen.

And then, the phone rang.

* * *

_(Living Room)_

Matt, who had been lying down on the couch for the past twenty minutes, was sure Mello was never going to come out of his room. Surely, he would have finished showering and getting ready by now. What the hell was he doing in _his_ bedroom anyway? Groaning again, Matt buried his now purple forehead into the couch's arm.

_This is where Mello sleeps_, he thought stupidly.

Deciding that a nap would pass the time and maybe even ultimately make him feel better, he tried to sleep.

Then the phone rang.

"Can't anyone give me a break?" He nearly shouted at the ceiling. The redhead yanked the telephone receiver. "Look, L, this is not the time – "

"_Is Mihael there?" _

Matt made a face. He'd been expecting L to give him an annoying reminder to get to work early the next day or even Light. Besides them, only Mello and Near knew his landline number.

"Who is this?"

"_I need to speak to Mihael. It's urgent."_

"Who's Mihael?" Matt asked irritably. He was already annoyed; he didn't need this shit from a stranger. "Listen man, you've got the wrong number." Matt nearly put the receiver back in the cradle.

"_You really don't want to hang up, boy."_

Shit, was it him, or did Matt faintly recognize this voice? Quickly, he put the receiver back in his ear. "Who is this?"

Someone's throat cleared on the other line. _"Do exactly as I say."

* * *

_

For a moment, Mello just stood there his palms flat against the door. Slowly, he removed his ear from the door as realization dawned upon him.

_Fuck!_

The blonde, now a blur, swiftly moved about Matt's room and collected all his clothes. He removed his beaten up duffle bag from underneath Matt's bed and shoved everything he could fit in it. Billowy mewled near his leg but Mello paid no attention to the feline.

In the 45 seconds that he spent packing, he noticed that his revolver was missing. Then the horrifying thought came when he realized that it was under Matt's couch. He spent a second and a half debating whether he should risk going out to get it back. Ultimately, he decided to leave it behind; all the bullets were with him anyway (so even a moron like Matt wouldn't be able to use it).

Mello slung the bag over his shoulder and staggered a little at the weight. When he steadied himself, he rushed to the dirty window to get out of the building using the fire escape. The entire ordeal of him running away sounded ridiculous in his head but Matt now knew too much information and was too involved for Mello to be around him any longer.

Just as he was about to climb down, he noticed Matt's goggles lying near the pillow.

Mello hated those stupid goggles.

Quickly, cursing at himself for wasting even more time, he grabbed them and proceeded with the painstaking task of going down the escape with a heavy duffle bag on his back.

Mello truly, honestly, without a doubt never wanted to see Matt ever again after this.

Then another voice in the back of his head told him to stop lying to himself.

* * *

**FTOYWGAD:** Yeah…I strongly dislike this chapter. It's got the plot moving but I'm unsatisfied with how it turned out. It seems a little choppy and the sentence structure sucks. I apologize! . (By the way, I'm back home from vacation now. :D)

**Food For Thought: **When cows eat, it's weird. In a village (in the Indian subcontinent anyway) the farmers are in a hurry to herd the cows so the rush them and make them eat fast. So the cows shove as much food in their mouths as they can and then just stick it in a small compartment in the back of their mouths. Then when they have time (like when they're finished with work or something) they bring that food back and chew it slowly and steadily, their mouths moving in opposite elliptical orbits. :D

Or something like that. :P

~Silver


End file.
